Whitney Canion was named a Top 25 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year Award

April 10, 2014

WACO, Texas - Baylor senior left-handed pitcher Whitney Canion was named as a Top 25 Finalist for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Wednesday. Canion earned the nod after she was one of 50 players selected during the preseason for the USA Softball watch list, which was narrowed to 25 Wednesday.

Canion has posted a 16-5 record on the season to accompany a 1.41 ERA through Baylor's frst 36 games. She's completed 11 games and has tossed seven shutouts whie holding batters to a Big 12-best .154 batting average. The Aledo, Texas native also leads the Big 12 in strikeouts per seven innings at a 9.21 clip.

With two medical redshirts earned, Canion is in her sixth year with the program and holds virtually every major career pitching record for Baylor, while climbing the top 10 charts in the Big 12 record book. Among her milestones in 2014, Canion became just the seventh player in Big 12 history to record 100 career wins from the circle. That win came March 1 when she pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out 12 to help Baylor defeat then No. 12-ranked South Alabama.

Canion's performance has helped Baylor to a 29-7 start to the season, and Saturday, prior to the second game of BU's Big 12 series with Oklahoma in Waco, Canion will be honored with a presentation from Baylor athletic director, Ian McCaw, for reaching 100 career victories.

The senior has pitched several games since the milestone win, and carries 108 career wins into the OU series, which begins Friday.

"Whitney has been a staple of our program, and obviously one of the better pitchers to ever come through the Big 12," said Baylor head coach Glenn Moore. "But, honestly she's an even better person than a player, and she is a great representation of Baylor softball, Baylor athletics and Baylor University."

Baylor will take on Oklahoma with one game each day Friday through Sunday at Baylor's Getterman Stadium this weekend. All three games will be televised with Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday's (Noon) games on Fox Sports Southwest Plus while Saturday's 4 p.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.